Neuroscience Facilities

Psychobiology

Several rooms within the Psychology Department facility on the second floor of Cambridge Hall are predominantly used for psychobiological investigations under the supervision of Dr. Larry Normansell, Associate Professor of Psychology.

Room 211 is the animal learning and memory laboratory. Within this room are two step-down passive avoidance chambers. In addition the room houses 4 computer-controlled operant conditioning chambers equipped to dispense water or food pellet reinforcement.

Room 212 is also used for the study of memory in rats. This room houses a large Morris Water Maze for testing spatial memory.

Room 213 is the chick colony room. A rack of four brooder boxes provides housing for the domestic chicks used in ongoing research projects.

Room 215 is the chick testing room. Two small observation chambers are in this room to allow for the study of individual animals. Also housed in this room is a large open field to allow for the observation of group social behavior in chicks. Sound digitizing capability utilizing a Macintosh computer is available in this room.

Room 216 is the histology lab and instrumentation room. Brains can be sectioned on a vibrating microtome and simple staining procedures are utilized for visualization of structures. A Nikon Labophot-2 light microscope is available. The room also houses the psychophysiological equipment. A Biopac Systems MP100 is set up to measure one channel of EEG, event-related potentials, EKG, and GSR. This system utilizes a Digital Celebris XL590 computer.

Room 218 is the general laboratory room for the psychobiology wing. It houses a refrigerator and serves as the supply room and reagent mixing and storage area. The lab is equipped to conduct studies using immunocytochemical procedures.